Photography tips

Exposure time

Night photography showing a starry sky above the silhouette of Mount Pilatus

Key tips

  1. Select an exposure time long enough to capture the stars without excessive blur caused by the Earth's rotation.
  2. Use a long exposure time to capture the faint light of the stars.
  3. Use a long exposure time to capture the faint light sources of the night sky on the sensor.

Photographs on this topic

68 photographs with tips

The exact camera settings for each shot are shown below it - a starting point for recreating the look yourself. Click through to a photograph for detailed photography tips on that specific shot, under "Photography tips for this image".

All subjects Mountains City Architecture Landscape Pilatus Lucerne Lake Lucerne Central Switzerland
The historic water tower in Lucerne with reflection in the water and Mount Pilatus in the background. 29 mm · f/22 · 1.3 s · ISO 100 Front view of Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne with colourful balcony accents 12 mm · f/16 · 1 s · ISO 200 The Wasserturm tower of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne at night in thick fog 32 mm · f/16 · 13 s · ISO 400 Light projection onto the Water Tower of the Chapel Bridge in Lucerne during night and fog 30 mm · f/10 · 10 s · ISO 200 View through a metal grate into the interior of the Jesuit Church in Lucerne during the Lilu Light Festival with a person in the foreground. 12 mm · f/4 · 1/2 s · ISO 3200 Light projection on the Lion Monument in Lucerne during the Lilu Light Festival. 14 mm · f/11 · 5 s · ISO 400 View through a circular window showing the illuminated Christmas star by the Reuss river in Lucerne. 22 mm · f/8 · 1.3 s · ISO 640 View along the Reuss river in Lucerne with Christmas lights on the bridge and the water tower at twilight 12 mm · f/8 · 1.6 s · ISO 1000 Illuminated towers of the Hofkirche in Lucerne with a glowing star between the spires at night. 62 mm · f/9 · 2 s · ISO 1000 The festively illuminated Hotel Schweizerhof Lucerne at night 66 mm · f/14 · 2.5 s · ISO 1000 Nighttime riverside promenade in Lucerne with Christmas lights on a pedestrian bridge 12 mm · f/16 · 8 s · ISO 640 Festive Christmas lights in the nocturnal Old Town of Lucerne with pedestrians on the pavement 45 mm · f/20 · 1 s · ISO 1000 String lights and market stalls at the festively illuminated lakeside in Lucerne 29 mm · f/11 · 2.5 s · ISO 640 Christmas ice skating rink against the nocturnal backdrop of Lake Lucerne 17 mm · f/11 · 2.5 s · ISO 640 Night view of the ice rink at the Lucerne lake basin with Christmas lights 12 mm · f/11 · 3.2 s · ISO 640 Illuminated Ferris wheel at Lake Lucerne in front of the KKL at night 45 mm · f/20 · 4 s · ISO 200 A motion-blurred chain carousel at night at a funfair in Lucerne. 12 mm · f/9 · 1 s · ISO 500 The illuminated Jesuit Church in Lucerne under a cloudy evening sky with a historic street lamp in the foreground. 13 mm · f/7.1 · 2 s · ISO 400 View of the Reuss river with Spreuer bridge and Chateau Gütsch in Lucerne at dusk 28 mm · f/10 · 3.2 s · ISO 200 Chapel Bridge and historic buildings of Lucerne Old Town at dusk 19 mm · f/14 · 10 s · ISO 64 Aerial view of Lucerne city and Lake Lucerne under a cloudy sky 45 mm · f/16 · 8 s · ISO 100 View across the Reuss river showing the Chapel Bridge with Water Tower and the Jesuit Church in Lucerne 15 mm · f/22 · 2.5 s · ISO 100 The night view of Chapel Bridge in Lucerne reflected in a glass sphere on a wall 50 mm · f/20 · 20 s · ISO 800 Glass ball on cobblestones in a narrow alley in the old town of Lucerne at night 15 mm · f/22 · 30 s · ISO 200

Related topics

  • Mountains
  • City
  • Architecture
  • Landscape
  • Light
  • Camera settings
  • Composition
  • Perspective
  • Pilatus
  • Lucerne
  • Lake Lucerne
  • Central Switzerland
  • Night
  • Sunset
  • Fog
  • Blue hour
  • Evening light
  • Rain
  • Snow
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